We welcome your interest in nominating a property to the National Register of Historic Places. The information below will provide all the guidance you need to get the process started. The required forms may be obtained through links in this document, or you may request an eligibility questionnaire be sent to you in the mail. If you are uncertain if your property is already listed in the National Register, please see our database or interactive map. Both the database and map are searchable by address and historic name.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to call us at 225-342-8172. We look forward to working with you.
The National Register Nomination Process in Louisiana
For a flowchart illustrating the process, see here. See the below outline for detailed information about all steps of the National Register of Historic Places nomination process.
I. Determination of Eligibility -- How to find out if your resource is eligible ↓ See more.
- First, please review the National Register Eligibility Guidelines.
- The next step for Louisiana properties is completion of an Eligibility Questionnaire. This is a preliminary eligibility evaluation, not the National Register nomination itself. This form outlines the information required by DHP staff to evaluate possible eligibility. A thorough and accurate response to these questions is required for completion of the preliminary evaluation process. The questionnaire may be submitted to DHP at any time. Once the review is completed, you will be notified of the staff's findings. Review typically takes around 30 days, not including additional information requested.
| Eligibility Questionnaires | ||
| Individual Resource Eligibility Questionnaire |  | |
| Historic District Eligibility Questionnaire | | |
| Cemetery Eligibility Questionnaire | | |
- If your property is determined potentially eligible, DHP staff members will contact you to arrange a site visit to the property. It is important to note that DHP staff is not committed to taking the property's nomination before the National Register Review Committee until this visit has been completed and a separate, completed nomination packet has been received and reviewed by DHP.
II. Preparing a Nomination -- Step-by-step explanation ↓ See more.
- PLEASE NOTE: Actual nominations should not be submitted until review of the Eligibility Questionnaire has been completed and you have received a letter notifying you that DHP believes the resource to be eligible.
- After the site visit has been completed and potential eligibility confirmed, you will be responsible for completing the National Register nomination form. Although DHP will provide a packet of information to help you with preparing the nomination, you have the option of working with a professional preservation consultant in completing the nomination form.
- For a list of all required materials, forms, and guidance for completing a National Register nomination, see National Register Nomination Packet.
- Individual resources in district nominations must be surveyed using Louisiana Historic Resource Inventory guidelines and forms.
- An application undergoes a series of technical and substantive reviews to assure that it meets National Register criteria. When the form is completed and corrected to DHP's satisfaction, we will schedule the property for consideration at the next available meeting of the Louisiana National Register Review Committee.
- Please understand that we can make no promises concerning the outcome of the nomination process. It is important to note that not every historic site or old building or neighborhood is eligible for the National Register. In order to qualify, properties must meet the federal National Register criteria for significance either on the national, state, or local level as well as integrity. The staff's role is to recommend whether a property should be presented to the State Review Committee. The final decision lies with this committee and, ultimately, with the National Park Service (NPS) in Washington, D.C.
Timetable and Deadlines
- Louisiana's National Register Review Committee considers nominations three times a year - in the Spring (April or May), late summer (July or August), and Fall/Winter (November/December). The Louisiana Division of Historic Preservation will place a nomination on a Review Committee's meeting agenda only after the document has been completed to the staff's satisfaction and all support materials have been received. Experience has shown that it usually takes multiple drafts before a nomination is technically correct and ready to go on an agenda.
- Deadlines for completing final draft nominations for specific Review Committee Meeting agendas vary according to the location of the property:
- Certified Local Government (CLG) Communities: The Certified Local Government (CLG) program is a partnership between local citizens, the State Historic Preservation Office, and the National Park Service. CLGs have an established local historic district, ordinance, and historic district commission. The 1980 amendments to the National Historic Preservation Act allow CLG communities to review and comment on each property or district proposed for the National Register within their jurisdiction. The comment period is 60 days. To allow the Division to facilitate the CLG's right to review and comment, a nomination in a CLG must be completed a minimum of 75 days before the meeting at which the nomination is to be considered. Click here to find out if your community participates in the CLG program.
- All Other Communities: The Division of Historic Preservation is required to legally notify owners of nominated properties that their properties are being nominated to the National Register a minimum of 30 days before a Review Committee meeting. Additionally, time is needed to prepare official notification letters or public notices for publication in local newspapers. Thus, nominations must be complete a minimum of 45 days before the Review Committee meeting at which the nomination is to be considered.
- Unfortunately, nominations cannot be scheduled for a particular agenda after the deadlines below have passed.
2023 National Register Nomination Deadlines:
| Meeting Date | Final Draft Deadline for nominations within a CLG Community | Final Draft Deadline for All Other Cities |
April 27, 2023 May 25, 2023 | February 10, 2023 (see note below) March 10, 2023 (see note below) | March 10, 2023 (see note below) April 13, 2023(see note below) |
| August 3, 2023 | May 12, 2023 (see note below) | June 16, 2023 (see note below) |
| December 7, 2023 | September 15, 2023 (see note below) | October 13, 2023 (see note below) |
Note: First drafts should be submitted well in advance of the above final draft deadlines to allow for revisions and requests for additional information if needed. Please allow up to 60 days for DHP's review of a first draft. The number of drafts needed will vary by project.
III. Presentation to the Louisiana National Register Review Committee -- What to expect at the Review Committee Meeting ↓ See more.
- On acceptance of a completed nomination by the specified deadline, the staff will schedule the nomination for presentation to the State Review Committee. The nomination preparer (owner, applicant, or consultant) will be asked to present a short PowerPoint presentation (5-10 minutes in length) at the scheduled Review Committee meeting. (See the Guidelines for PowerPoint Presentations and PowerPoint Template). All interested parties are welcome to attend the National Register Review Committee meeting. After each presentation, the Committee will discuss and vote on whether to recommend the nomination to the State Historic Preservation Officer.
IV. Appeal Process -- How to Appeal a National Register denial ↓ See more.
- Louisiana's goal is to make the National Register program as inclusive as possible. However, some nominations simply do not appear to meet the program's eligibility guidelines. To ensure that every candidate has a fair hearing, any person or local government has the right to appeal a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) decision not to nominate a property. This decision can occur at either the staff or the Review Committee level.
- Appeal of a Staff-Level Decision
- The state's National Register staff has the responsibility of screening applications and suggesting whether candidates should or should not move forward in the listing process. These evaluations are based upon the National Register Criteria for evaluation. Reasons for a negative recommendation will be thoroughly explained to the applicant. If the applicant does not agree with these reasons, they have the right of appeal.
- In Louisiana, the first appeal is heard by the National Register Review Committee. This appeal takes the form of a completed National Register nomination, which the applicant or his consultant prepares and presents to the Committee at one of its three annual public meetings. Staff will provide the materials needed to prepare the nomination and assign the application to a Review Committee agenda according to the completion deadlines provided above. The Committee may endorse a nomination, fail to endorse a nomination, or table a nomination for any reason. All nominations approved by the Committee are forwarded to the National Park Service for further review.
- Appeal of a Review Committee Decision
- If the state's National Register Review Committee declines to approve a candidate, the applicant may appeal directly to the Keeper of the National Register at the National Park Service. The appeal must include a copy of the nomination form and other documentation submitted to the SHPO, an explanation of the reason for the appeal, a copy of the pertinent Review Committee Minutes, and relevant correspondence from the SHPO. Staff will provide a copy of the minutes and copies of correspondence if the applicant no longer has the latter. There is no appeal beyond the Keeper's decision.
- If the state's National Register Review Committee declines to approve a candidate, the applicant may appeal directly to the Keeper of the National Register at the National Park Service. The appeal must include a copy of the nomination form and other documentation submitted to the SHPO, an explanation of the reason for the appeal, a copy of the pertinent Review Committee Minutes, and relevant correspondence from the SHPO. Staff will provide a copy of the minutes and copies of correspondence if the applicant no longer has the latter. There is no appeal beyond the Keeper's decision.
| Further information on appeals can be found in the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 (United States Code, Title 16, subsection 470, or 16 USC 470) and the regulations that govern how that section of the law is implemented (Code of Federal Regulations, Part 36, subsection 60, or 36 CFR 60). | |
| National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 amended through 2006 | Code of Federal Regulations |
V. Preparation of Final Nomination Form and Listing -- What happens after the National Register Review Committee meeting ↓ See more.
- After approval by the Louisiana National Register Review Committee, the final nomination must be completed. The applicant will be responsible for making any needed corrections to the final form. The National Register staff will thoroughly explain any changes required and will assist where needed.
- The nomination is then forwarded to the National Register office of the National Park Service in Washington, D.C. Their staff will make a determination within 45 days from the date the application is logged into their system. Once official notification of listing is received, DHP will notify the applicant of the decision by letter. DHP will provide owners of listed properties with a National Register certificate. DHP does not provide plaques; however, information on ordering a plaque can be found here under "Plaque Information."
